Meet the Phare team

We are comprised of current and former educators with decades of experience working with young people and fellow educators, doing research and trying ideas to make learning environments relevant, engaging, and meaningful for young people. Our work is based upon the intersection of this experience working with young people and our familiarity with research on human motivation, adolescent psychology, and positive youth development.

Elizabeth Daly, MSEd

Co-founder, educator, curriculum builder, & course lead

Elizabeth has her Bachelors in Human Development and Communications from Boston College and her MSEd from Northwestern University. She began working in education in 2008 and has worked in various roles for Northwestern University and The University of Chicago before relocating with her family to Santa Fe, NM where she worked for the May Center for Learning. She is experienced in customized curriculum development and facilitation for both high school and college courses on Resilience, Social-Emotional Learning and Executive Functioning skills.

Elizabeth teaches Phare’s Catalyst course to high school students in Santa Fe, NM, helping students to feel more engaged in their own learning experience. She was also a co-creator and facilitator of Northwestern School of Engineering’s PATH (personal academic tactical help) program. Both Catalyst and PATH continue to be successful in driving student motivation and academic resilience, and often result in boosts in student’s GPAs and well-being.
In her spare time, Elizabeth loves spending as much time as possible outdoors with her family hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding or camping.

Jessica Koehler, PhD

Co-founder, independent evaluator, educator, & coach

Jessica has twenty years of relevant experience working directly with students and educators in secondary and post-secondary education. After over a decade of classroom teaching experience as a middle, high-school, and post-secondary STEM educator, she then broadened her work including research and evaluation to amplify support for adolescent motivation beyond a single classroom. In her nine years since, she continues to support teens and young adults directly as a tutor and coach and indirectly as an educational researcher and program evaluator – most specifically on adolescent and young adult development in the educational context in both the non-profit sector as well as secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. She earned her PhD in Adolescent Motivational Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, is a Certified Youth Coach through the ICF Accredited Youth Coaching Institute, and is certified in the Science of Human Potential.


In her free time, she enjoys time with family, cooking, and doing anything in nature.

Rebecca Block, PhD

Co-founder, author, evaluator, & academic coach

Rebecca earned her PhD in Rhetoric & Composition as a University Fellow at the University of Louisville, and went on to become a professor at Daytona State College, where she founded the college’s award-winning writing center and obtained tenure. She then moved to working with nonprofits focused on enhancing and supporting K-12 educational environments, where she’s served in evaluation, improvement and innovation focused leadership and advisory roles.

At Phare, Rebecca helps conduct evaluations, as well as creating content for young people, educators, and families, including the recently released book Can You Help Me Give a Sh*t: Unlocking Teen Motivation in School and Life, which draws from interviews with high school and college students from across the country, and is co-authored with a first-year college student who was the original interviewee. Rebecca also leads workshops with families and parents to support their ability to understand and connect with the young people in their lives.

In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys exploring the outdoors, crafting unusual objects, and eating yummy food with her family and friends.

Meet our Interns

Our intern team is comprised of young individuals who have diligently been working to develop Phare Education's online presence. Our intern team is a diverse group of creative young people with various backgrounds who are invested in using digital platforms to help reach a broad audience.

Grace Edwards

Lead Social Media Strategist

Grace L. Edwards is the co-author of Can You Help Me Give a Sh*t? Unlocking Teen Motivation in School and Life and a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. She is studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Societies on the pre-med track. In her free time, she is a lover of plants, baking, swimming, and going on long walks.

Alice Liu

Digital Strategist

Alice is an interior design student attending the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She’s a lover of art and an addict of anything sweet. In the future, she hopes to design spaces, whether it be a room in an apartment or whole cities—she’s super excited to see where life takes her! Coming from a place where education is valued but resources are scarce, she hopes to contribute to work that ensures accessibility to true learning opportunities and environments.

Ira Washington

Digital Strategist

Ira is a student at the University of Delaware. He’s a social justice advocate and environmentalist who loves animals. When he’s not finding ways to be engaged in his community, he’s usually indulging in music, poetry, or writing.

Teresita Salazar Cienfuegos

Digital Content Developer/Editor

Teresita is a student at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) majoring in Media Studies and Business Economics. She hopes to work as a creative director, creating visions and concepts for brands. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring new cafes, watching movies and editing creative content. With her background in media development, she hopes to create content that gives Phare Education more exposure to an audience that benefits from Phare Education's goals.

Joanny Salazar

Digital and Social Media Strategist

Joanny is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Economics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Apart from her studies, she enjoys traveling to explore different cultures, hiking, listening to music across various genres, and meeting new people to broaden her perspectives. Her diverse interests reflect a dynamic approach to both academic and personal growth.